Europhile Greece and euro-sceptical Denmark yesterday simultaneously set out to become the 12th and 13th members of the euro.
Greece, always an enthusiast, formally applied to Brussels to join, and will now face an examination by the European Commission and the European Central Bank as to whether it meets the Maastricht criteria. Membership by the time of the launch of the single-currency notes and coins in January 2002 is regarded as possible.
The Danish government, whose problems are as much political as economic, first has to sell the project to its electorate in a referendum and the Prime Minister, Mr Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, yesterday called a snap meeting of his Social Democratic Party (SDP) leadership to devise a timetable for the poll.
"There is every indication that a referendum will be held in September," an SDP spokesman told AFP.
The move is a gamble as the recent diplomatic isolation of Austria caused a substantial backlash in Denmark against all things European. A poll in February showed the percentage of Danes who favour joining the euro had dropped to 46 per cent from 53 per cent in the space of one month.
Swedish sources predicted last night that its government may shortly follow suit in holding a referendum.
The Greek Prime Minister, Mr Costas Simitis, described the application as marking a "historic" turning point which "puts an end for good to the image that Greece is little and anxious about its security".
The Commission President, Mr Romano Prodi, and the Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Mr Pedro Solbes, expressed a "favourable welcome" to the candidature.
